Sunday, July 8, 2012

a favorite detail: ceilings with a sheen

Twenty two years ago I went to purchase paint for our very first house. It was a little gem of a house in the beautiful old neighborhood of Eastmoreland in Portland, Oregon. I did my research and found that Benjamin Moore was the best paint available at the time. I then purchased the wrong paint sheen for the ceiling... at least that is what my painter told me! I had purchased Benjamin Moore's "Pearl" finish for the paint to be used on the ceiling. My painter made a big issue about me buying the "wrong" paint sheen- painters like flat on the ceiling as they think it hides a multitude of imperfections and makes their paint job look better.

Despite his protests, I had the painter paint the ceiling in one bedroom so I could look at it and decide. I could stand in the hall between this bedroom and the master bedroom and have the perfect vantage point that let me look in both bedrooms by simply turning my head; one with a sheen on the ceiling and one with the original flat paint. As my painter went on and on admonishing me for my error and how now you see all the small cracks and imperfections in the circa1939 ceiling, blah, blah, blah.... all I could think was: the ceiling with the sheen looks 2 inches taller! The small, rather dark room was transformed and looked beautiful as the natural light from the windows subtly danced off the ceiling. It was a mistake gone good! From that moment I have never used anything but Benjamin Moore's Pearl (which is a sheen between an eggshell and a semi-gloss) on my ceilings in all my houses (most paint lines only have flat, eggshell, semi-gloss, and gloss.)

Light, both natural and from lamps and chandeliers, bounces off the ceiling and creates this lovely subtle effect of life and movement in the room. I say subtle because no one walks into your home and says "Oh look, you have shiny ceilings." It's more of a feel than a sheen.

In our 1950's neighborhood in Dallas where all the original houses were one-story ranches I had a neighbor over and he was noting how similar in layout our houses were, except that my ceilings were taller!! They, of course, were not taller- it was the paint sheen that made them feel that way! To this day I don't think he ever really believed me that it was just the paint!

Be forewarned- painters will argue to their death about why you shouldn't use it and how you're going to see small cracks and imperfections. Stand your ground! While there might be a small amount of truth to what they say, the effect on the room by having a sheen on the ceiling FAR outweighs seeing some small cracks. You'll notice the feel of the room, not the imperfections- I promise!!

If you have 12 foot ceilings this sheen probably won't be of interest to you, but if you have 8 or 9 foot ceilings this little detail can be a lovely element in a room.

I think it is important to always keep an open mind in regards to design! Some of my favorite design elements have risen out of either a mistake, or a structural issue needing to be addressed, or money (i.e. lack of funding;) ; but, if your eyes aren't open to the possibilities- even in the problems and the negative, then you might miss them.

Thanks for the tip! I always knew there was something special about your ceilings but I couldn't put my finger on it. What a wonderful solution for the shorter ceilings in these vintage and antique homes!

Wonderful advice! I am going to try it. I have a bedroom painted in a yellow buttercream and the light dances of the walls in the most wonderful way. I imagine the pearlized ceiling would have the same affect.

I usually tint my ceilings with the slightest color of the walls, no one notices, but it makes everything blend well. I wonder if I can do that with the Pearl paint.

I do believe you and I can imagine all the reflected light bouncing from such a ceiling. I am proud of you to stick to your opinion and not let the painter bully you.About 25 yrs ago when sanding floors in our old farmhouse, I tired and decided to paint the upstairs bedrooms floors in a cream white colour, actually very similar to chippy white today. One visitor remarked that my room resembled a mental hospital. I was bothered but it made me more determined to stick to my planThanks for sharing your story

I re-painted my master bedroom about 6 years ago...and used an eggshell paint...on purpose. ;) I was plesantly surprised at how much of a difference it makes in my room. The light, any light...lamp, window, overhead...bounces off the ceiling and makes the room so much brighter and it seems to push the ceiling higher. I also like the fact that when I get the occasional cobweb...ick...it wipes right away and doesn't "stick" to the flat ceiling paint. Room by room I'm painting all of my ceilings eggshell.

Love this, Joan! I recently started painting bathroom walls in a "shiny" navy. My painter totally disagreed with my choice and talked me into painting another coat in flat. Perhaps I should have stood firm.

Let me ask you this... have any of the ceilings you've painted been textured? We have that ugly textured look on all of our ceilings, and I'm curious if sheen would look good, or if it's better to not call attention to it.

This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time, but we have textured ceilings so I've always assumed it wouldn't work. I might try it in our basement bedroom, though--the ceiling has panels that appear to be made of some sort of OSB-type material in a grid pattern, but it's the only room in the house that's not orange peel textured.

Ooh, I absolutely love this idea!!! And when I do decide to paint (or hire someone) my ceilings, I will definitely try the pearl...what an unexpected surprise for any one who walks in the door...love it!!! Thanks for sharing.

I used this idea on the living room ceiling of my 1790's home (7'4" high), not because I made a mistake or was particularly clever, but I read about it somewhere and how it would make the ceiling look taller. With such low ceilings, I needed all the help I could get. Well, it looked beautiful and it definitely worked. BM Pearl finish is one of my favorite finishes.Your bedroom is so lovely.Best...Victoria

We did this 24 years ago when we bought and fixed up our 1928 house. Only did this in the dining room, but it's a walk-through dining room used every day. I'm not sure where we got the idea, and our plaster ceiling certainly wasn't perfect, but we liked the effect and have it to this day.

I so agree Joan. I wanted to do gloss ceilings in our house and the painter moaned and complained about it so much and managed to convince me it would show up every imperfection, so I didnt do it and regretted it. I also wanted high gloss white all the woodwork but he kept telling me the timber wasn't good enough quality and would show up every mark etc. Now I know they just couldn't be bothered and were simply taking the easy way out and I will never again take advice from a painter. Glad you stood your ground. Now seeing your beautiful ceiling I may paint it again myself.

I've always loved shiny ceilings in vintage kitchens. I think it's got a real 1940s look. But I've never really considered it in other rooms. Most of my ceilings are in really bad shape so I'm not sure I could get away with it.

Joan, because I'd noticed this detail before on your blog, I had the walls and ceilings throughout my entire little cottage painted in an eggshell finish (except for the bathroom, which is done in semi-gloss). I love the way the light reflects off the ceiling. The whole place glows like the inside of a seashell. Even the painter agreed it was a good choice!

My favorite design blogger. What did I do before I found your blog? I would have never thought to use anything but flat on the ceiling. I don't even like sheen on the walls. Now I do have a beadboard ceiling in the front room and it is painted in semi-gloss. I am so going to try this idea. We have nice flat, non-textured ceilings, with limited flaws so it should work well. What finish do you use on your walls? Thanks for all of your wonderful posts.

Joan,How interesting. I have never heard of this and I have an older, lower ceiling home. I will definitely give it a try when we paint our master bedroom, which will be the next room to need paint. Thanks.Karen

I had read your blog regarding your paint choices and we used BM pearl finish on our son's hose(still painting). I love your ceilings and I am thankful that you share your tips!!! the BM satin impervo is working great also on his old oak cabinets...have a good day darlene

Joan,I love how you stood your ground and created a new look for your home. This is such a great idea. I have a beautiful wallpaper that I'll put up in my small entry/hallway and up the 3 flights of my gently winding staircase. But, the ceiling color had been mystifying me. I have low ceilings and it's not that bright, so this is the perfect solution. I'm going to go for it!!!

Elle- Yes, you can mix the Pearl finish in any of the BM colors, or tint it to your liking.

Anon 3:32- I don't see why it wouldn't work on a stamped ceiling. Please see my comment below for Carolyn & Jessica!

Nutbird- I don't have a Pinterest account yet:O, but you may pin it if you like!!

AntiqueChase- Neither have I!

Carolyn @ Sweet Chaos and Jessica- Yes, painters are a very opininated bunch!! My ceilings in Dallas had a slight texture and it worked well there. My opinion is that, like showing up small cracks and imperfections, it "might" highlight it, but that the effect it has on the room will over-ride any negative effect of highlighting the texture. Maybe try it on the bathroom ceiling, to see if you like it?!

Maria- It would be gorgeous on beadboard!

Steve- That's the great thing about the Pearl- it's not as shiny as a semi-gloss which I think might really highlight an imperfect ceiling.

Seabluelee- Good painter:)

Deb- I use BM's Eggshell on the walls.

Cindy- The ceilings throughout the house are White Dove (except for in the master bath which is the wall color.)

Okay, I'm SO glad you posted this because I LOVE your house and use your blog as a reference all the time. So, I went to the paint store a few weeks ago and asked for the pearl finish. I happened to mention that it was for my 8' ceilings and the paint man almost wouldn't sell it to me!! He kept saying, "But you can't do that." I did it anyway. I love it. Thanks for the unintentional encouragement!

This is so timely! I am about to begin painting my living room that has 8 foot ceilings - and I've always had a problem with how small and squat that room felt even though it is a fairly large room. I thought about a 'shiny' ceiling because my kitchen has shiny ceilings and I've always loved that, but I knew that a gloss or semi-gloss would be too much.Thanks again for your beautiful blog and all the inspiration it provides ;)

I personally luv the effect! I think the pearl finish is perfect on the flat ceiling here. We have heavily textured ceilings. One day in an effort to save & use what I had, I used leftover white semigloss (prior trim paint) to paint our laundry room ceiling. Now our ceilings are 9' so I wasn't going for a "higher" effect. I just thought it might make it easier to lift the webs & dust bunnies that tend to inhabit high ceilings in a typically "linty" space. But I was very pleasantly surprised when I realized it helped lift the room out of it's cave like dolldrums as it is a north facing room with little natural light coming in. Love all the added light bounce we get in there these days & swore from that day forward I'd always use a higher gloss on ceiling from here on out.

For over 25 years I painted my entire house in Porter velvet walls, ceiling and trim. Aghast, people were then!Now I'm going darker. I'm a libra. The see/saw syndrome is as irresistible as it is inevitable! Like you, I think oopsies often are moments of inspiration and grace. And I think it's always important to lead with your heart.

What a great tip !Since we are in South America, I cannot buy familiar brands of most things so I did everything here by trial and error. A lot of the error was flat paint rather than some bit of shine.I love the idea of the ceilings having a bit of shine/glow to them ! At night with the lights on, it must be lovely. I am definitely going to get my way on this one when we are finally back in NY and I am having yet another house painted :)Good thing I like to do this stuff lol. ... besitos from a very cold BA.

Thank you, thank you! I am going to try this in the new house in the bedrooms. The other areas have 10 foot ceilings so I won't need to do this BUT it looks SO beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing theis "mistake"!!! XO, Pinky

My ceilings are so heavily textured, but if they were smooth, I would definitely paint them with a pearl sheen. Love how it reflects the light.BTW, I used to live in a little gem of a house in Eastmoreland too. One of the best times of my life, now 30 years ago. Just one more way our paths have "crossed" in life!

What a beautiful mistake!! I can see how the light reflects beautifully. Our ceilings are a funny texture. I wonder if it would work with that? I love the soft muted colors in your room. Just lovely...

Joan, I love this post and am anxious to try your recommendation. My ceilings are slightly textured so I think it would look fine and oh I have 8 and some 9 ft. ceilings. I think it would definitely enhance the heighth. Would you be inclined to paint all the ceilings in the house like this. My dining room has cherry red walls with a Swarovski crystal chandelier, I think it would be beautiful in there and expecially in the bedrooms. I am loving this idea.

BTW, I have been sick, in the hospital but doing better and my son has had a serious accident with a long recovery. My time posting is so limited but I find that it is a much needed way to relax and get my mind on other things. I will be visiting more often.

Jemsmom- Try it in a small space with the ceiling finish (like a bathroom) and see if you like it. I stand by, while it might highlight the texture that isn't what you'll notice- you'll just notice the "effect of the whole room". Perhaps with a heavily textured ceiling you might like an eggshell finish instead?

Carolyn- Yes, I would be inclined to paint all the ceilings with the pearl. Your dining room would be gorgeous with it! I am so sorry that you haven't been well, and about your son's accident. I wish you both a speedy recovery. xx

Anon 11:41- I don't have a "Pin It" button as I, too, am not techie and haven't figured out how to add one. Blogger is a complicated beast and they don't always make things easy on us bloggers! I don't have facebook, so I don't have a Pinterest account- but LOTS of people pin my photos directly, so there must be some other way to do it. And, I do not mind at all that people pin the photos as long as the blog (me;)is given full credit.

I have the same problem with my painter. I think they just want everything to be easy and with flat they can do a sloppy job and not worry about the brush strokes and directions. Whatever!!!!!! Hate that. So glad you stuck to your guns. Your room is lovely as your blog.Lisa

I too had a painter shaking his head but he knew well enough, after painting two entire houses for me, that I was not going to let go. Pearl ceilings are gorgeous and I have them in my 1910 house. What they do frequently require is another skimcoat of plaster on the ceiling, to ensure it's flawless. Pearl ceilings all the way...all the time! Yours look beautiful.

I love this. It adds so much dimension when it catches the light. In our new place they took the same semi-gloss from the walls to the ceiling in the entire place. I guess that's just what the Japanese do, maybe due to humidity? I have no clue! But honestly living with it for a couple weeks, I think it is easier to clean, reflects a lot more light and just feels brighter. I'm a fan!

I love that you decided to post on this because after our conversation, I couldn't help but think you had so much to give and share on the subject! My painter scoffed at me for testing pearl on the ceiling. Because I ran out of time and had to keep things simple, I went with flat in the end. Maybe pearl is in my future. I had to let go of perfection this time around! xoxo!

Hi! I just spent a whole day going through your entire blog and I am amazed at what you have accomplished!! Every single piece you own or have created is a work of art with a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing the (time consuming) process you undertook to create your house! You both are truly inspirational. (I have never commented on a design blog before!)-Niki

Niki- Thank you so much! Dan and I loved your comment. Wow- that's a lot of reading;) I am honored to be your first design blog comment! Hope it won't be your last;0 As I told Dan, it's the comments that keep me motivated to keep writing the blog, and yours was very motivational!

Yes, thank you for sharing your "mistake!" I come back to this post often thinking about how I'm going to paint my ceiling. I've been looking into this Benjamin Moore Pearl Finish. It looks like it is not (yet?) available in the No-VOC paints which only have the flat, eggshell, and semi-gloss. If you no-VOC was really important to you, do you think you could have lived with your ceilings being painted in semi-gloss or would that additional level of shine drive you nuts based on what you've experienced with the pearl finish? Just curious! Thanks!

Quon_mom, What I love so much about the Pearl finish is that it is so subtle and the whole effect is very understated. I think by stepping it up to a Semi-gloss it would be a more obvious (almost in your face) statement. While some rooms can handle that look (I've seen many semi, or high-gloss ceilings in magazines for example) I think most rooms would benefit from the understated Pearl. The transition from the sheen of the walls to the celing might be a bit much. The Regal Select line uses zeri-VOC colorants making it a low-VOC paint and it comes in the Pearl finish. Or perhaps you could mix a flat or eggshell finish with the semi-gloss to get a Pearl finish?? I would ask BM about that if you were interested. Good luck!

Thanks for the tip. We have high ceilings in all the rooms except for our bedrooms where they are only 8 ft. tall. I can't believe that I am actually excited about painting the ceilings. Can't wait to try this.

was looking for something to add a little life to my home and with its 8 ft ceilings in need of paint--I am going to give this a shot --the minute my darling husband leaves on vacation later this week. Will start in the bedroom --it really is dark and can use the burst of energy...thanks so much

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"when every corner speaks of possibility I know that I am home." -unknown-

Ten years ago I could not have even pointed out New Hampshire on a map, but here we are. Six years ago, after living for 15 years in the beehive that is Dallas, Dan and I finally escaped and landed in a very small town in New Hampshire that doesn't even have a traffic light. Perfection! Our move was a huge risk, but it has paid off with dividends and we absolutely love it here. I think we are really Yankees at heart. If you've never been to New England I cannot describe it with adequate words, you really just have to experience it. It is like no other part of the country. Its beauty matches our beloved Colorado, Oregon, and Washington and its spirit (Live Free or Die) is reminiscent of Texas, and the people... well, we have found them to be most genuine. In essence... we feel as if we have arrived home!

joan

ella...

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